Media Statement
Hon Peter Dunne
MP for Ohariu
Leader of UnitedFuture

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Dunne: Huawei Issue Exposes Price of GCSB Blunders

Concerns around Chinese communications giant Huawei are of “critical importance and need to be explored but there are huge doubts about whether the GCSB can do that job for New Zealand”, UnitedFuture Leader Peter Dunne said today.

“New Zealand is now paying the price for the GCSB’s Dotcom failures. We have a crisis in confidence in a critical agency of the State.

“Basically, are they up to it? That is a question we have not seriously had to ask before.

“The Huawei issue highlights the trust we now do not have in the GCSB – they have totally shot themselves in the foot,” Mr Dunne said.

He said that the concerns raised by the United States intelligence committee about Huawei are very serious, and the Government needs to treat them seriously.

“Whether we like it or not – and regardless of the many good aspects of New Zealand’s burgeoning relationship with China – they have a history of blatant intellectual property theft and are a growing military superpower,” Mr Dunne said.

“When the United States warns against doing business with Huawei, and Australia would not let them provide their national broadband network, why are we dismissing their concerns so lightly?

“Who is going to protect New Zealand’s security interests here? Tough questions need to be asked,” Mr Dunne said.

www.unitedfuture.org.nz

ENDS

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